Saltgrass Steakhouse

My quest for the best (i.e. my favorite) steak in Houston has begun, and may not go much farther... Saltgrass Steakhouse was THAT good.  I had not been to Saltgrass before, and I was told that I was in for a treat.

We went to the Southwest Freeway location near S. Gessner.  It was somewhat early so the dinner crowd had not yet hit.  Their website uses the tag line "Texas to the Bone," and they mean it.  The atmosphere inside is more like a barbecue place than a steak house; rustic and western.  As we were escorted to our table, we passed boxes of huge russet and sweet potatoes and the decision on my side was made.  After being seated, we met our white-clad, waiter, Rodney who's presentation and explanation of menu items demonstrated that we were in a place that took their steak seriously. 

 I usually don't get appetizers, but I have a food blog now, so I need to eat more.  We started our dinner with the Beef Enbrochette.  These little jewels are grilled beef tenderloin with a small piece of jalapeno wrapped in bacon.  You'd think that would be enough... I mean, 'wrapped in bacon' is usually all it takes to make something perfect... but they don't stop there.  The enbrochettes are resting on a bed of grilled, caramelized onions that have been sauteed in their BBQ sauce.  The dish is also served with a small helping of the BBQ on the side.  If you get just the right bite of one of the enbrochettes, having dipped it the sauce, you'll get a perfect mix of the beef, bacon and gently tangy sauce... then... you wait for it... and you get a whisper of jalapeno, like the punctuation to the perfect sentence.  When you are done, you will be left with quite a bit of the caramelized onions.  These are great by themselves, having a rich beefy au jus flavor.  In the end, I was glad to have gotten an appetizer.

Instead of a salad, I got the steak soup.  I was determined to have steak in as many variations as I could.  The soup was good, but it was more of a barley soup than a steak soup.  The pieces of steak in it were few and somewhat smaller than expected, and the pepper was a tad overpowering.  This being said, it was a tasty soup, and it came after the enbrochettes, and those were a tough act to follow.

For my main course I ordered the 12 oz. Pat's Ribeye, medium rare. I have to admit, the presentation didn't thrill me.  I think it was that shriveled look of the sweet potato (which was huge, by the way).  I'd never had a baked sweet potato before.  They don't look as appetizing as a baked russet, but they make up for their appearance in taste.  The potato was filled with butter and brown sugar and was more like a desert than a side dish. The steak was cooked dead on as I ordered it.  My knife slid across the meat like a bow across a violin and effortlessly parted a bite-sized piece.  The taste of the char did not overpower that of the meat.  That dollop you see in the center is garlic butter.   It melted as I ate and slowly covered the meat, so it starts as a whisper and then fills the palate. I thought it was a delicious touch.

Prices were what you would expect for the typical steak dinner.  Eating here now and then won't break the bank.